My well-read friends sometimes ask what my favorite book is. And, damn it, I always feel a bit embarrassed answering, because out of all the books in the world, it’s Andy Weir’s The Martian.

Sure, it’s a great adventure novel, but there’s another reason. As a programmer, how could I not feel a bond with a guy who solved a pile of complicated engineering problems with duct tape?

Yes, of course duct tape works in a near vacuum. Duct tape works almost anywhere and everywhere. Duct tape is a gift from the gods, and we should worship it.

― Andy Weir, The Martian